'Bama corrects mistakes; begins work on Mississippi

The top-ranked Alabama football team practiced for two hours on Monday in shells at the Thomas-Drew Practice Facility as they cleaned up mistakes from the Florida Atlantic game and began preparations for the SEC-home opener on Saturday.

"Ole Miss is really a much improved team," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Monday. "The offensive numbers that they've been able to put up against everyone that they've played have been very impressive … They are playing hard, playing with a lot of spirit. They've got some really good skilled players."

The Crimson Tide put their 40-7 win over Florida Atlantic behind them before taking a look at the 3-1 Rebels on Monday. Saturday's game is slated for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN.

"This is a team that is a completely different team (than in the past)," Saban said. "I think Hugh Freeze has done a really good job. It's obviously going to be important for us getting back into SEC play. It should be a great atmosphere for us at Bryant-Denny stadium Saturday night."

Alabama will return to the practice field on Tuesday in full pads as game-plan installation begins. The Tide owns a 45-9-2 record against Mississippi and an eight-game winning streak in the series, including 10 straight at home dating back to a 1988 loss.